Shadowhunters always look better in black
by MochaMoka
Summary: What happens when a normal mundane discovers that the City of Bones characters are real? Okay, that was a bad summary, but yeah. I'll be changing the title later, but it's all i can think of right now. Rated T to be safe
1. Prologue

[Just so you know-the story is set after City of Glass, but before City of Fallen Angels.]

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><p><span>PROLOGUE<span>

Tory was walking out of the shopping mall, clutching a heavy bag filled with books, when she saw them.

They were all standing together, facing her, but looking past her or through her, certainly not _at_ her. They were dressed in black, two boys and one girl. The girl had runes all over her arms-the top she wore was sleeveless-and their dark colour was striking against her pale skin. Her black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail. A boy-her brother-stood at her side, his blue eyes standing out against his pallor and dark hair. Next to him was another boy, slightly tanned, with golden hair and amber eyes, surveying the scene around him.

Tory knew who they were. She knew their names and that they were related. It was Isabelle, Alec and Jace. It was the Lightwoods… it was Jace Herondale. Jace Wayland. Jace Lightwood. It was _Jace_. For a moment, Tory stared, eyes wide, excitement bubbling up inside her. She had read the Mortal Instruments. She loved the books. Right in front of her were the characters from the books…! Her excitement faded quickly, deflating like a balloon, as the truth dawned on her; these were just some people cos-playing the characters. No way was that the real Isabelle Lightwood, standing a few metres in front of her. That would be plain crazy, and not to mention illogical.

Mentally laughing at herself, Tory headed towards her car. Technically, it wasn't her car, just for now. She'd borrowed it from her friend for the night.

As Tory passed the 'Shadowhunters' she smiled at them. "Nice outfits. I really love the runes. You guys look like the real deal." She glanced at their costumes in open curiosity. "You actually had me fooled for a second."

Instead of saying 'thanks' or starting up conversation about the books, as Tory had expected, the three kids looked shocked. 'Isabelle' and 'Alec' exchanged a puzzled glance. Tory could tell they were trying to hide their surprise. Surprise at what? She frowned. "And how exactly did we fool you?" The one who was playing Jace spoke up.

_"You know,"_ Tory gestured at them. She received blank and suspicious stares in reply. Checking her watch, she realized she didn't have time for whatever joke they were playing. She was already running late... "Look, whatever. You want to pretend that you really are the real Jace, Isabelle and Alec, go ahead. Have fun kids, but I've got to go."

Rolling her eyes, she turned to leave, only to find a certain blonde haired guy blocking her path. "There are so many things wrong with what you just said. I don't even know where to begin." He narrowed his eyes. "'Kids'? 'Have fun kids'? You look younger than me, you're probably just as old as Isabelle, and you're calling _us_ kids?" Despite his joking demeanor, he seemed on edge. The other two looked tense as well.

Tory stepped back and bumped into 'Isabelle', who was busy glaring at 'Jace'. "Cut the jokes, Jace," 'Isabelle' said, "this is seriously weird."

"I agree," Tory muttered, moving around them. She headed away, not bothering to turn around when one of them called out. She quickly found her car in the parking lot, dumped the bag of books in the back and reversed out of the space. That whole incident had been just plain weird, plus her head was sick and tired of using too many air quotes.

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><p>Isabelle stamped her foot impatiently as the three watched the weird mundane drive away. "How did she know our names?" she demanded, of no one in particular. Jace just shrugged.<p>

Alec bit his lip. "Maybe she's a warlock?" he suggested. "A friend of… err, Magnus's… maybe that's how she knows us?"

"A cos-play," Jace muttered, shaking his head. "She said something about a cos-play."

Isabelle sighed. "Maybe Clary will know what this means. She mentioned a cos-play to me once, while she was discussing some manga thing."

"Maybe," Jace shrugged again. He was eyeing the mall and their surroundings again. "Was it really okay to let her go? I have a bad feeling about that girl. How could she possibly know we were Shadowhunters?"

"Maybe she's a Downworlder," Alec suggested.

"That just casually strolled up and complemented our outfits?" Isabelle snorted. "And runes? Oh yeah, because Downworlders love us so much."

"Careful, Izzy. Just a little more sarcasm, some blonde hair, a little raw masculinity and you could be my twin," Jace grinned at her. Isabelle flicked him.

"And besides, Downworlders don't hate us as much since the new Accords," Alec pointed out, bringing them back to their original topic.

"Yeah but they still don't-"

It was at times like these that Jace wished Hodge was still alive; Hodge would know what to do. "As much as I love a good argument," Jace cut in, "I don't think this is getting us anywhere. Why don't we hunt that _Oni_ demon as planned and then get back to this problem? One thing at a time."

Isabelle and Alec nodded shortly.

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><p>[So, tell me what you think.]<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

_1_

Tory parked in front of Nick's house, studying it's outside for a moment. The house was white, with large windows, a wooden deck and surprisingly green grass for this time of year. Tory pushed away a few strands of hair from her face. Nick wasn't going to be happy when she gave him the books. He'd asked for something along the lines of a leather jacket, or a CD for his birthday. Plus, he hated reading. Grinning, Tory picked up the bag of books and her 'sleepover bag', got out of the car and knocked on his door.

Shaye opened it, smiling when she saw Tory. Nick and Shaye were her best friends - she'd met them in primary school and they'd stayed friends since. "Hello!" Shaye greeted her with a smile. "You're late."

"I know, but I was shopping for Nick's gift," Tory held up the heavy book bag. "You know how hard he is to shop for."

"No I'm not!" Nick yelled from somewhere inside the house. "I told you two what I wanted!"

"And who said I was getting you what you wanted?" Tory yelled back, following Shaye into the living room. Nick was sprawled on the couch, wearing a cool leather jacket that Shaye had gotten him. "I remember last year, when you got me _fungus_. A. Whole. Collection. Of. Fungus."

"It was a joke," Nick smiled sheepishly, sitting up straighter.

"Well, it didn't exactly scream 'happy birthday'," Shaye laughed, no doubt remembering Tory's disgusted look as she opened the gift. But who wanted mold for their birthday? "I remember it was inside a plastic container. Yech." Nick chuckled. Tory held up the sparkly bag, filled with books and handed it to Nick.

"I like the bow." Nick nodded at the giant purple bow stuck to the side of it.

"It makes it look more festive," Tory shrugged, settling on the couch, next to Shaye. Nick's actual birthday was tomorrow, which his family was celebrating by throwing him a massive party. They'd already booked a hotel and invited a least a hundred people, most of whom Nick didn't even know.

Nick pulled out a handful of books, frowning. "_City of Bones_? Really, you know I hate those books… oh look, it's something called _Clockwork Angel_. Real manly. _Alex Rider_? _CHERUB_? _The Hatchet_?" Nick glared at Tory, who was grinning widely.

"What?" She didn't bother trying to look innocent. "If you don't like those, there are more books in there."

"I can tell," Nick rolled his eyes. "Are we even for the fungus now?"

"No way," Tory shook her head. "Books are interesting. Fungus, on the other hand, isn't even remotely useful."

"So book shopping took you this long?" Shaye asked, grabbing some chips from a bowl on the coffee table nearby.

"Yeah, I picked all the books that Nick has missed out on reading." Nick made a face. Tory ignored his look. "But you know what was odd? As I was leaving I saw these strange people, cos-playing Mortal Instrument characters. Weird, or what?"

"Definitely unusual," nodded Shaye, "But it's not unheard of. I mean, you tried to dress up as a Mortal Instruments character once, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, it's just that they-the cos-players-they looked to real. As if…"

"As if they _were_ the characters?" Nick spoke up, raising an eyebrow, looking amused.

"Something like that." Tory didn't know what she meant. "Let's get back you, the birthday boy. After all, today is you pre birthday-party party."

"Yes it is," Nick grinned. "Guess where we're going for my pre-party party?"

Shaye and Tory exchanged a glance; Nick was always unpredictable. "Someplace legal, I hope," Tory muttered. Nick just grinned wider. "Nick!" Tory stared at him, trying to judge whether he was joking or not.

"It's legal. Don't worry." Nick brushed her concern aside. "I just hope you girls brought something sparkly and short to wear, because we're going to a party-the best party you'll ever attend. And by party, I don't mean the polite, sophisticated events my parents hold," he added, "I mean a real, let-loose-go-wild kind of party."

"Where is it?" Shaye asked.

"In Brooklyn," Nick replied. Tory relaxed little; that was good-at least the party was in their suburb. Nick grabbed a piece of paper lying on the coffee table and showed it to the girls. "Check it out. It's some big part hosted by this dude called Magnus."

"That's an unusual name," frowned Shaye, studying the flyer.

"Reminds me of Magnus Bane, from City of Bones." Tory looked at the flyer. It was a montage of glitter and coloured paper with a date, location and time written on it. Near the bottom was a signature in silver glitter pen; _Magnus_.

"Yeah, I figured you would want to go, because of Magnus from City of Bones. See, tonight you can pretend you're Clary or whatever. So hurry up, get changed. You can't go in jeans and a t-shirt," Nick gestured at their outfits.

Tory assessed Nick, who wore ripped grey jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. His parent's always insisted on buying him designer clothes, so he rebelled and wore punk-ish clothing. Now that Tory though about it, he did look ready to party. "You're lucky it's your birthday, and that we're staying over at your place. Otherwise we wouldn't have anything to change into. Why couldn't you give us a heads up?" Tory rolled her eyes and moved towards the other bag she had brought, stuffed with pajamas and clothes.

"I'll say," Shaye agreed, "Is it too much for a 'by the way, we're going to a random party?'"

"You might have said no," Nick beamed. "After all, you guys don't exactly go to strange places just to hang out and stuff."

"Yeah, something's wrong with _us_," Tory said sarcastically. "We're just not as adventurous as you."

~oOo~

The night air was cool and sharp. Jace knocked on Magnus's door and waited for it to open. He remembered standing here with Clary, Isabelle, Alec and Simon, before they'd even met Magnus. He remembered coming here when he was under the suspicions of the Inquisitor…

How many times had he knocked on this door? It opened and Alec, not Magnus, stood in the foyer. "Jace." Alec blinked, looking surprised.

"Alec." Jace raised his eyebrows, copying Alec's formal tone. "Maryse asked me to come get you. She says it's urgent. It has to do with a dead Shadowhunter found in… _Are you partying with Magnus right now?_" Jace could hear the hypnotic beat of music and voices coming from inside the house. He grinned as Alec began spluttering, looking embarrassed. His hair was in disarray and his cheeks were red. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Magnus didn't tell me until the last second-I didn't know he was hosting a party-did you say _dead_ Shadowhunter?" Alec blinked again.

"Yes." Jace sobered up.

"I'll just quickly tell Magnus I have to leave." Alec started heading down the hallway; Jace followed. The party room was loud and alive with dozens of dancing, sweaty bodies. Strobe lights flashed in every colour and a faery band was busy playing a haunting melody. Alec disappeared in the crowd.

Jace walked around slowly, avoiding drunk and partying Downworlders. He remembered Clary when he'd taken her here-remembered the way her green eyes had stood out, her black dress and the stockings… He also remembered the dreams he'd been having lately, the ones that ended with her death. He had to stay away from her-he wouldn't be the one to hurt her.

It was then Jace saw the mundanes. There were three on them, just entering the party room, eyes wide, walking hesitantly. His own eyes narrowed. The girl that had accused him of being a cos-player was one of the three.

In a blink, Alec and Magnus were beside him. "All set to go?" Alec asked Jace. Jace looked at Alec. He flicked his eyes in the direction of the mundanes in a silent gesture that said _look_. Alec and Magnus followed his gaze. "Jace, what are we looking at-hey, isn't that the mundane that talked to us earlier today?" Alec sounded annoyed.

"Mundane?" Magnus eyed the crowd. "That simply won't do. Oh look, there's three of them."

"We've got to go," Jace looked at the group one last time. He shook his head. There was something strange about them. "Don't let any vampires have their way with them," he added to Magnus.

Magnus gave Jace an amused look. "Don't tell me you think I'm going to let them stay here. This is an _exclusive_ party. Besides, I can't be held responsible for what may or may not happen to them."

Jace was more than content to leave at that, but he thought of Clary, who'd thought of herself as a mundane not so long ago. Had she ever stumbled into a Downworld party? "Just make sure they don't get killed," Jace sighed, his conscious nagging.

"Don't you worry, Shadowhunter." Magnus smirked. "I'll escort them out myself. If they want to party with Downworlders, I'll show them what it's really like. What?" Magnus chuckled at Jace's sour expression. "Don't worry, they'll leave this place alive and in the form of a human. We don't want them to pull a 'Simon', now do we?"

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><p>[Hope you liked that. ;) It was fun to write. If you have any suggestions for the story, feel free to tell me.]<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

**2**

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><p>DANCING, LAUGHING, DRINKING; ALL VISIBLE BARE SKIN GLISTENED WITH SWEAT. There were people everywhere. All sorts of people too - Tory could see tall boys with charming smiles and pretty girls with short, tight dresses, people with everything from glittery vests down to glittery hair. One guy was sporting an outfit of leather boots with silver spikes, tight grey jeans and a purple leopard spotted shirt. Some people were extremely pale, while others were impossibly hairy, their teeth seeming only to consist of canines. <em>Fake teeth?<em> Tory wondered.

_Maybe the party is themed_, she thought, as a group of people passed her, Shaye and Nick. The group seemed to have skin that was tinged blue. Tory blinked. It was probably the flashing lights. Yes, that was it, the lights…

"So," Nick grinned, "Am I a genius? Or, err, what?" Despite his words, he sounded a little nervous.

Tory turned to look at him; his eyes were wide, his mouth curved up in an excited smile. He seemed to be drinking the scene in, but unlike Tory, who felt she was detached from everything, Nick seemed to be itching to join the crowd.

Tory glanced at Shaye; her expression looked torn, as if she couldn't decide whether she liked what she was seeing or not. Tory felt that way herself. On the one hand she imagined this could be a fun scene, yet on the other hand… that pale lady in the corner had teeth that were just too sharp and the drinks were strange, bright colours. Tory remembered a biology lesson in which her teacher had told her class that certain species of insects were brightly coloured to warn predators they were poisonous… To Tory, the drinks seemed to hold an edge. Plus, there was a haunting melody playing, but no band. Tory couldn't even see a boom box, radio, or sound system."Err, it's still too early to say," Shaye said slowly.

Nick laughed. It was a loud, carefree sound. "We should dance. All of us. Or get a drink-"

"I'd advise against that," a voice said from behind them. Tory whipped around. It was the guy in the leopard shirt. Tory could notice, from this distance, that he had glittery black spiky hair and that he wore odd cat-eye contacts. He looked timeless, but if Tory had to guess his age … eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty?

"Excuse me?" Nick looked at him in disbelief, an eyebrow raised. Nick held his gaze. "And you would be…?"

The guy's voice was dangerously soft when he said, "Magnus."

Magnus… That triggered a memory. Of her and Nick, and Shaye. Just before coming here. Nick had said the party was thrown by someone called Magnus and she had said, _like Magnus from… _something. What was it again. Tory racked her brain but for some reason she couldn't concentrate, not with the haunting music and the way some guests were staring at them. As if they were more of a snack than just some kids out to have fun. And _where_ was that eerie music coming from?

"Oh." Nick bit his lip. Somehow, he seemed to know better than to doubt Magnus's word. Maybe it was the other guy's tone. Calm, yet irritated. Either way, uncharacteristically, Nick looked apologetic. "Well, hey there Magnus, old buddy… Err, I was thrilled to get your invitation in the mail-"

Tory was slowly beginning to get used to the music… She could imagine getting lost in the beat, dancing… it didn't sound like such a bad idea. Hadn't Nick suggested it before? As soon as Magnus rolled his eyes and left, as he surely would, Tory decided she would dance.

"I would say nice try," Magnus shook his head, his cat eyes narrowing at Nick, "But it really wasn't. I don't invite mundanes to my parties for a reason."

"Mundanes?" Tory blinked. She'd heard that word before too … Right? Heard it or read it... Somewhere...

"Yes mundanes," Magnus sounded a little exasperated. "As in _you. _So either get bitten by a vampire or get out."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"You're kidding right?"

Shaye, Tory and Nick all spoke at the same time. Tory wondered why Magnus was taking their party crashing so seriously. She doubted every single person here had an invitation. Besides, in every party there was always some people who no one knew or invited. What did he expect anyway, throwing a party this extravagant? Didn't he have other guests to talk to?

Part of her was aware that she wasn't acting normally, but most of her didn't care.

Magnus smiled. It was not a friendly smile, nor was it a cruel one. If anything, it was rueful. "You'll never understand the world, despite how hard you humans try to, because you're oblivious of _half _of it. This, to you, is like another world, isn't it? But, in reality, it's not. You just lack the ability to uncover the secrets about the very world you live in." His words seemed to bring her back, if only slightly.

"You're talking as if you're superior," Tory said, frowning. It felt as if she were emerging from some dream, as if she were waking up…

"And what do mean by saying we're oblivious?" Nick demanded. "What exactly can you 'see' that I can't?"

"Ahh, I apologise, I tend to get carried away," Magnus murmured. "But since you're curious…"

Just as she abruptly as she had felt herself shaking the music's hold on her, Tory was pulled back in.

Suddenly everything was different.

Tory looked around her. There were people with pink, green and blue skin… In the corner of the room a pair of pale, tall, fair haired girls sat. They had fangs. Fangs. FANGS. They were sipping a wine glass filled with a thick red liquid. Tory stumbled backwards, into a really hairy person, with yellow eyes that seemed to glow, no clothes, and claws… In fact, he was so hairy it was as if he had fur… He had fur? Realization dawned on Tory.

She was acutely aware of the fact that Magnus was not wearing contacts. He had cat eyes. Well, it wouldn't be the strangest thing she'd seen tonight. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a band, full of people dressed in gauzy silver, playing instruments. They had wings, and their voices were far too unnaturally high to be human.

No one was human here, Tory realized. Not the vampires, or the werewolves, or the weird pixie-feary creatures. Least of all Magnus. No one at all, but her, Nick and Shaye.

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><p><em><strong>N:<strong> SOO, heh this took a while to update. Plus it's pretty short. Sorry, but the next one shall be longer. _

_Don't worry, I have actually thought this story through (which means that, yup, there's going to be an actual plot). Just thought I'd let you know so that you don't think that i'm making this up as i go along (not that there's anything wrong with that! that's a good writing style for some people.)_

_Yeah, so I guess I just felt like adding my thoughts. Mm, kay bye. _


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